Monogatari Series Timeline and Watch Guide
This section contains information about the release order and chronological placement. See Story Timeline for specific story information. Monogatari Series consists of a complicated timeline, both in terms of release order of the light novels and anime as well as chronologically. There are four main "seasons" in which the books/anime adaptations are organized: First Season, Second Season, Final Season, and Off Season. First Season consists of the books / anime cours: Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, along with Nekomonogatari Black. Kizumonogatari, originally the second released book of the light novel series, was announced as an anime movie in 2012 but was put on a hiatus up until 2015 when the film had finally returned to be released as a trilogy of films starting in January 2016. Second Season consists of five stories total being Nekomonogatari White, Kabukimonogatari, Hanamonogatari, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari, and Koimonogatari. While First Season consists of two books with two volumes and another two books with only one volume each, Second Season consists of only one volume, one arc books. As such, the anime adaptation, Monogatari Series Second Season consists of all five books except Hanamonogatari which was later released separately. Final Season consists of Tsukimonogatari, Koyomimonogatari, Owarimonogatari, and lastly Zokuowarimonogatari. In terms of anime, Final Season currently consists of another single arc book adaptation with Tsukimonogatari, another compilation adaptation with Owarimonogatari containing it's first two volumes, and an ONA series adaptation of Koyomimonogatari that was distributed on an app of the same name in Japan. The adaptation of the third and final volume of Owarimonogatari is still in development. Zokuowarimonogatari has yet to have an anime adaptation officially announced. The Kizumonogatari trilogy of films could also in a way be considered a part of Final Season in the anime series due to their time of release and original titles, though Kizumonogatari as a whole is technically supposed to be grouped with First Season as with the light novel series. Off Season consists of additional stories that occur throughout the series timeline with Orokamonogatari, Wazamonogatari, and Nademonogatari. Musubimonogatari has also been announced for 2016. No anime adaptations of Off Season have been produced or announced yet. Kizumonogatari is currently the only light novel officially released in English, with three volumes of Bakemonogatari to release next in December 2016, February 2017, and April 2017 respectively. The first volume of Nisemonogatari is also scheduled for a June 2017 release. What Order Should I Watch/Read? Both due to complications in orders of release and meta narrative story telling, there are multiple orders to experience the series in. All have their pros and cons, so it's up to you to decide which sounds like the best option for you. Note that as of the time writing this article: # The Kizumonogatari film trilogy has not been completed # The anime adaptations of Owarimonogatari Vol 3 & Zokuowarimonogatari have yet to me made # Only the Kizumonogatari novel has been officially released in English. As such, Anime Release Order is currently the best option. Anime Release Order For a long time, this was the rule of thumb order for anime only watchers (and the entire English community) as it was the only order possible for each group. With Kizumonogatari being temporarily skipped and no official English translations arriving until 2015, this is generally the order most long time English speaking fans have experienced the series in. While there's other reshuffles in the meta narrative, the biggest difference with this order is that it presents Kizumonogatari as a mysterious missing part of the story to be anticipated later in the series. While many don't have a problem with this, some may argue that it leaves too many unanswered questions that are answered too late in the series. Generally, watch this order if you want to experience the series as most English speakers have and want to see how the production has changed and improved over the years with each installment. First Season # Bakemonogatari (2009) # Nisemonogatari (2012) # Nekomonogatari Black (2012) Second Season # Monogatari Series Second Season (2013) # Hanamonogatari (2014) Final Season # Tsukimonogatari (2014) # Owarimonogatari (2015) # Koyomimonogatari (2016) # Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016) # Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekkestu (2016) # Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (2017) Light Novel Release Order This is the completely original order in which stories were released by author Nisio Isin. Unlike anime release order, all shuffles in chronological placement are fully intentional for the narrative. Go this route if you want to experience the story as it was originally intended, at the cost of missing the mystery and anticipation element of Kizumonogatari. First Season # Bakemonogatari (2006) # Kizumonogatari (2008) # Nisemonogatari (2008 - 2009) # Nekomonogatari (Black) (2010) Second Season # Nekomonogatari (White) (2010) # Kabukimonogatari (2010) # Hanamonogatari (2011) # Otorimonogatari (2011) # Onimonogatari (2011) # Koimonogatari (2011) Final Season # Tsukimonogatari (2012) # Koyomimonogatari (2013) # Owarimonogatari (2013 - 2014) # Zokuowarimonogatari (2014) Off Season # Orokamonogatari (2015) # Wazamonogatari (2016) # Nademonogatari (2016) # Musubimonogatari (2016) "Kizumonogatari First" Order This is less of an order and more of a minor adjustment to the former two. Author Nisio Isin claims in the authors note of the novel that he thinks Kizumonogatari can come before Bakemonogatari, so if you'd like to experience it first and then proceed with one of the previously mentioned orders, it is another viable option. Main Series Chronological Order This order eliminates most meta narrative elements in favor of as a single continuous story. Another mostly viable option, but most recommend it for rewatching rather than a first time viewing. Note this only includes the main series with First Season - Final Season since Off Season gets complicated with its many side stories. Even if you don't watch chronologically, chronological placement should be kept in mind during traditional viewings. # Kizumonogatari # Nekomonogatari (Black) # Bakemonogatari # Nisemonogatari # Kabukimonogatari # Onimonogatari # Owarimonogatari Vol. 2 # Nekomonogatari (White) (occurs concurrently with Onimonogatari and Owarimonogatari Vol. 2) # Owarimonogatari Vol. 1 # Otorimonogatari # Koimonogatari # Tsukimonogatari # Owarimonogatari Vol. 3 # Zokuowarimonogatari # Hanamonogatari Visual Graphic Important Information To Know Before Watching / Reading * Keep in mind that this series acts as a puzzle in terms of the order arcs are experienced. Don't be thrown off guard by chronological order. Unless you choose that route, arcs are meant to be experienced in a shuffled fashion. * Each anime cour is merely an adaptation of a novel, not necessarily its own "season." As such, cours with multiple volumes such as Bakemonogatari or Owarimonogatari contain multiple arcs and a large number of episodes, while single volume cours such as Nekomonogatari Black or Tsukimonogatari have a small amount of episodes and only one arc. The anime cour known as Monogatari Series Second Season is unique in that it is a volume compilation cour that consists of only one arc volumes and is not named after a specific book. * Even though all the arcs in Second Season except Hanamonogatari are typically grouped into one cour known as Monogatari Series Second Season, the western blu-rays have separate releases for each arc. * Bakemonogatari consists of 15 episodes, but most legal streaming sites only have 12. This is because the last 3 episodes were originally released online in Japan and not on television. Legally, the only way to view these episodes is through the official blu-ray release. * A compilation of Kabukimonogatari, Onimonogatari, and Owarimonogatari Vol 2 in that order occurs at the same time as the entire Nekomonogatari Shiro arc. The three arcs are told as flashbacks during later dates. * Koyomimonogatari consists of short side stories that are mostly unimportant to the main story besides the last 2 episodes which chronologically proceed Owarimonogatari Volume 3. * Koyomimonogatari is not currently officially available outside of Japan, so there are no legal means to watch it in English. See Also *Monogatari *Arcs *Story Timeline Category:List